The author of this LTTE is right -- there ARE folks who won't register to vote solely to avoid jury duty. So many people in Scioto County are just scraping by they can't afford to take off work on jury duty pay. This is a real problem in getting folks to register.
http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/articles/2006/07/23/news/letters_to_the_editor/1letter_juryduty.txtJury duty requirements may affect voting registrations Saturday, July 22, 2006 11:28 PM EDT
It is time to remove the burden of being selected for jury duty because you are a registered voter. Ohio law allows for jurors to be picked from registered motor vehicle operator's lists.
The vast majorities of people who live in Scioto County, if picked for jury duty, forfeit their regular wages and receive jury duty pay. That will hardly cover their transportation cost. It is not surprising that they choose not to register to vote, solely to avoid jury duty. They are disenfranchised voters, much the same as those excluded by poll taxes.
It is time that we are afforded the same system as our northern Ohio neighbors who use the driver's license as an option.
Call your representative, Board of Elections and Common Pleas court judges. They all are listed in the front of the phone book: Government Offices. It is time for change and elimination of one or more kink in the voting process.
Frank Halstead
West Portsmouth